Alain Prost won the 1985 British Grand Prix after a sustained contest with Ayrton Senna at Silverstone. Keke Rosberg’s extraordinary pole lap had set the weekend alight, but Alain Prost’s race victory brought him to within two points of championship leader Michele Alboreto.
Race Guide
Season: 1985 F1 World Championship
Race date: 21 July 1985
Race start time: Start time unconfirmed local time (UTC+01:00)
Circuit: Silverstone Circuit
Laps: 65 laps (66 laps scheduled)
Circuit length: 4.719 km
1984 winner: Niki Lauda
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Keke Rosberg | Williams |
| Pole time | 1:05.591 | |
| Fastest lap | Alain Prost | McLaren |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:09.886 on lap 43 | |
| First | Alain Prost | McLaren |
| Second | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari |
| Third | Jacques Laffite | Ligier |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 19 July 1985 | Practice 1 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 19 July 1985 | Qualifying 1 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 20 July 1985 | Practice 2 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 20 July 1985 | Qualifying 2 | 14:00–15:00 |
| 21 July 1985 | Warm-up | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 21 July 1985 | Race | Start time unconfirmed |
All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.
Championship background
Michele Alboreto arrived at round 8 leading the 1985 F1 World Championship on 31 points, with Alain Prost on 26. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 50 points.
Race entries
Nigel Mansell returned after missing the French race with concussion. Martin Brundle continued with Tyrrell’s Renault-powered car, while Stefan Bellof retained the Cosworth chassis. The field assembled at the exceptionally fast Silverstone layout, where engine power and confidence through the sweeping corners were both essential.
Friday Free Practice
Low cloud delayed Friday practice because the required medical helicopter could not reach the circuit. Once running began, only about 20 minutes remained for preparation before qualifying. Ayrton Senna’s engine trouble prompted a hurried change of plan for the spare Lotus, and the compressed programme left little time for methodical testing.
Friday Qualifying
Keke Rosberg headed Friday qualifying despite the curtailed preparation, ahead of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. The Williams was already close to a 160 mph average around the lap, setting up an exceptional final session.
Friday Qualifying Classification
1985 British Grand Prix first qualifying session, 19 July 1985
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Keke Rosberg | Williams | 1:06.107 | — |
| 2 | 2 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 1:06.308 | — |
| 3 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | 1:06.324 | — |
| 4 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:06.793 | — |
| 5 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 1:07.581 | — |
| 6 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Toleman | 1:07.678 | — |
| 7 | 1 | Niki Lauda | McLaren | 1:07.743 | — |
| 8 | 28 | Stefan Johansson | Ferrari | 1:08.169 | — |
| 9 | 16 | Derek Warwick | Renault | 1:08.238 | — |
| 10 | 22 | Riccardo Patrese | Alfa Romeo | 1:08.384 | — |
| 11 | 7 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 1:08.933 | — |
| 12 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:09.080 | — |
| 13 | 18 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows | 1:09.413 | — |
| 14 | 8 | Marc Surer | Brabham | 1:09.572 | — |
| 15 | 17 | Gerhard Berger | Arrows | 1:09.870 | — |
| 16 | 15 | Patrick Tambay | Renault | 1:09.989 | — |
| 17 | 9 | Manfred Winkelhock | RAM | 1:10.299 | — |
| 18 | 3 | Martin Brundle | Tyrrell | 1:10.718 | — |
| 19 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 1:10.756 | — |
| 20 | 23 | Eddie Cheever | Alfa Romeo | 1:11.072 | — |
| 21 | 25 | Andrea de Cesaris | Ligier | 1:11.082 | — |
| 22 | 10 | Philippe Alliot | RAM | 1:11.162 | — |
| 23 | 29 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | 1:13.645 | — |
| 24 | 24 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella | 1:16.400 | — |
| 25 | 4 | Stefan Bellof | Tyrrell | 1:17.009 | — |
| 26 | 30 | Jonathan Palmer | Zakspeed | 1:17.856 | — |
Saturday Free Practice
Saturday’s better weather restored a normal morning session. Teams worked on the balance needed both for a qualifying lap and for the opening race laps with full fuel tanks. Wind and the threat of showers remained factors, encouraging the leading drivers to prepare an early attack when qualifying began.
Saturday Qualifying
Keke Rosberg took pole with 1:05.591, averaging more than 160 mph in a lap that stood as Formula 1’s qualifying-speed benchmark for 17 years. Nelson Piquet joined him on the front row, while Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna retained third and fourth on their Friday times. Showers curtailed further improvements.
Saturday Qualifying Classification
1985 British Grand Prix second qualifying session, 20 July 1985
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Keke Rosberg | Williams | 1:05.591 | — |
| 2 | 7 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 1:06.249 | — |
| 3 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:06.675 | — |
| 4 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | 1:06.794 | — |
| 5 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:07.427 | — |
| 6 | 25 | Andrea de Cesaris | Ligier | 1:07.448 | — |
| 7 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 1:07.696 | — |
| 8 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Toleman | 1:07.871 | — |
| 9 | 28 | Stefan Johansson | Ferrari | 1:07.887 | — |
| 10 | 15 | Patrick Tambay | Renault | 1:08.240 | — |
| 11 | 2 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 1:08.532 | — |
| 12 | 8 | Marc Surer | Brabham | 1:08.587 | — |
| 13 | 16 | Derek Warwick | Renault | 1:08.604 | — |
| 14 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 1:08.656 | — |
| 15 | 17 | Gerhard Berger | Arrows | 1:08.672 | — |
| 16 | 1 | Niki Lauda | McLaren | 1:09.001 | — |
| 17 | 9 | Manfred Winkelhock | RAM | 1:09.114 | — |
| 18 | 18 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows | 1:09.131 | — |
| 19 | 3 | Martin Brundle | Tyrrell | 1:09.242 | — |
| 20 | 10 | Philippe Alliot | RAM | 1:09.609 | — |
| 21 | 22 | Riccardo Patrese | Alfa Romeo | 1:10.110 | — |
| 22 | 23 | Eddie Cheever | Alfa Romeo | 1:10.345 | — |
| 23 | 30 | Jonathan Palmer | Zakspeed | 1:13.713 | — |
| 24 | 29 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | 1:15.363 | — |
| 25 | 4 | Stefan Bellof | Tyrrell | 1:16.596 | — |
Combined Qualifying Classification
Each driver’s faster time from the two qualifying sessions determined the overall order.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Friday Time | Saturday Time | Best Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Keke Rosberg | Williams | 1:06.107 | 1:05.591 | 1:05.591 | — |
| 2 | 7 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 1:08.933 | 1:06.249 | 1:06.249 | — |
| 3 | 2 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 1:06.308 | 1:08.532 | 1:06.308 | — |
| 4 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | 1:06.324 | 1:06.794 | 1:06.324 | — |
| 5 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:09.080 | 1:06.675 | 1:06.675 | — |
| 6 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:06.793 | 1:07.427 | 1:06.793 | — |
| 7 | 25 | Andrea de Cesaris | Ligier | 1:11.082 | 1:07.448 | 1:07.448 | — |
| 8 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 1:07.581 | 1:07.696 | 1:07.581 | — |
| 9 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Toleman | 1:07.678 | 1:07.871 | 1:07.678 | — |
| 10 | 1 | Niki Lauda | McLaren | 1:07.743 | 1:09.001 | 1:07.743 | — |
| 11 | 28 | Stefan Johansson | Ferrari | 1:08.169 | 1:07.887 | 1:07.887 | — |
| 12 | 16 | Derek Warwick | Renault | 1:08.238 | 1:08.604 | 1:08.238 | — |
| 13 | 15 | Patrick Tambay | Renault | 1:09.989 | 1:08.240 | 1:08.240 | — |
| 14 | 22 | Riccardo Patrese | Alfa Romeo | 1:08.384 | 1:10.110 | 1:08.384 | — |
| 15 | 8 | Marc Surer | Brabham | 1:09.572 | 1:08.587 | 1:08.587 | — |
| 16 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 1:10.756 | 1:08.656 | 1:08.656 | — |
| 17 | 17 | Gerhard Berger | Arrows | 1:09.870 | 1:08.672 | 1:08.672 | — |
| 18 | 9 | Manfred Winkelhock | RAM | 1:10.299 | 1:09.114 | 1:09.114 | — |
| 19 | 18 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows | 1:09.413 | 1:09.131 | 1:09.131 | — |
| 20 | 3 | Martin Brundle | Tyrrell | 1:10.718 | 1:09.242 | 1:09.242 | — |
| 21 | 10 | Philippe Alliot | RAM | 1:11.162 | 1:09.609 | 1:09.609 | — |
| 22 | 23 | Eddie Cheever | Alfa Romeo | 1:11.072 | 1:10.345 | 1:10.345 | — |
| 23 | 29 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | 1:13.645 | 1:15.363 | 1:13.645 | — |
| 24 | 30 | Jonathan Palmer | Zakspeed | 1:17.856 | 1:13.713 | 1:13.713 | — |
| 25 | 24 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella | 1:16.400 | no time | 1:16.400 | — |
| 26 | 4 | Stefan Bellof | Tyrrell | 1:17.009 | 1:16.596 | 1:16.596 | — |
Sunday warm-up
Alain Prost led Niki Lauda in the warm-up, reinforcing McLaren’s confidence in its race pace. De Elio de Angelis crashed, leaving the Lotus mechanics with hurried repairs before the start. After the disrupted Friday and spectacular qualifying speeds, the teams still had to make their cars survive a long race at sustained high speed.
Warm-up Classification
1985 British Grand Prix Warm-up, 21 July 1985
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time / Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 1:10.220 | — |
| 2 | 1 | Niki Lauda | McLaren | +1.173s | — |
| 3 | 25 | Andrea de Cesaris | Ligier | +1.783s | — |
| 4 | 28 | Stefan Johansson | Ferrari | +1.786s | — |
| 5 | 7 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | +1.800s | — |
| 6 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Toleman | +1.813s | — |
| 7 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | +1.846s | — |
| 8 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | +1.906s | — |
| 9 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | +2.096s | — |
| 10 | 6 | Keke Rosberg | Williams | +2.566s | — |
| 11 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | +2.680s | — |
| 12 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | +2.750s | — |
| 13 | 3 | Martin Brundle | Tyrrell | +2.770s | — |
| 14 | 15 | Patrick Tambay | Renault | No time | — |
| 15 | 8 | Marc Surer | Brabham | +2.976s | — |
| 16 | 18 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows | +3.576s | — |
| 17 | 9 | Manfred Winkelhock | RAM | +3.810s | — |
| 18 | 17 | Gerhard Berger | Arrows | +3.823s | — |
| 19 | 23 | Eddie Cheever | Alfa Romeo | +4.563s | — |
| 20 | 30 | Jonathan Palmer | Zakspeed | +4.636s | — |
| 21 | 22 | Riccardo Patrese | Alfa Romeo | +4.826s | — |
| 22 | 16 | Derek Warwick | Renault | No time | — |
| 23 | 10 | Philippe Alliot | RAM | +5.623s | — |
| 24 | 29 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | +6.800s | — |
| 25 | 24 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella | +7.433s | — |
| 26 | 4 | Stefan Bellof | Tyrrell | +8.466s | — |
What happened in the 1985 British Grand Prix?
Ayrton Senna made an excellent start and took the lead, while a first-corner accident eliminated several cars. Both Williams drivers later retired, leaving Alain Prost to pursue the Lotus. Niki Lauda moved into third before another mechanical failure ended his race.
Alain Prost finally passed Ayrton Senna after a close battle, and the Lotus then stopped with fuel-system trouble. Michele Alboreto moved into second, with Jacques Laffite third. The chequered flag was mistakenly shown after 65 laps, one short of the scheduled distance.
Alain Prost had lapped the entire field by the finish. Michele Alboreto retained the championship lead, but only by two points, while Jacques Laffite kept third despite running out of fuel after the early flag. Nelson Piquet, Derek Warwick and Marc Surer completed the points.
After the race, Michele Alboreto headed the drivers’ standings with 37 points, followed by Alain Prost on 35. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 56, with McLaren – TAG on 38.
1985 British Grand Prix race results
The 1985 British Grand Prix was held on 21 July 1985.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time / Retired | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 65 | 1:18:10.436 | 9 |
| 2 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 64 | + 1 Lap | 6 |
| 3 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 64 | + 1 Lap | 4 |
| 4 | 7 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 64 | + 1 Lap | 3 |
| 5 | 16 | Derek Warwick | Renault | 64 | + 1 Lap | 2 |
| 6 | 8 | Marc Surer | Brabham | 63 | + 2 Laps | 1 |
| 7 | 3 | Martin Brundle | Tyrrell | 63 | + 2 Laps | 0 |
| 8 | 17 | Gerhard Berger | Arrows | 63 | + 2 Laps | 0 |
| 9 | 22 | Riccardo Patrese | Alfa Romeo | 62 | + 3 Laps | 0 |
| 10 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | 60 | Fuel injection, electronics | 0 |
| 11 | 4 | Stefan Bellof | Tyrrell | 59 | + 6 Laps | 0 |
| Ret | 1 | Niki Lauda | McLaren | 57 | Electrical | 0 |
| Ret | 18 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows | 57 | Spun Off | 0 |
| Ret | 25 | Andrea de Cesaris | Ligier | 41 | Clutch | 0 |
| Ret | 29 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | 38 | Transmission | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 37 | + 28 Laps | 0 |
| Ret | 9 | Manfred Winkelhock | RAM | 28 | Turbo | 0 |
| Ret | 6 | Keke Rosberg | Williams | 21 | Exhaust | 0 |
| Ret | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 17 | Clutch | 0 |
| Ret | 23 | Eddie Cheever | Alfa Romeo | 17 | Turbo | 0 |
| Ret | 30 | Jonathan Palmer | Zakspeed | 6 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 19 | Teo Fabi | Toleman | 4 | Transmission | 0 |
| Ret | 28 | Stefan Johansson | Ferrari | 1 | Accident | 0 |
| Ret | 15 | Patrick Tambay | Renault | Collision | 0 | |
| Ret | 10 | Philippe Alliot | RAM | Accident | 0 | |
| Ret | 24 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella | Accident | 0 |
1985 British Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 43 | 1:09.886 |
| 2 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | 48 | 1:10.032 |
| 3 | 1 | Niki Lauda | McLaren | 40 | 1:10.905 |
| 4 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 56 | 1:11.290 |
| 5 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 48 | 1:11.649 |
| 6 | 7 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 43 | 1:11.837 |
| 7 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 18 | 1:12.068 |
| 8 | 25 | Andrea de Cesaris | Ligier | 36 | 1:12.089 |
| 9 | 8 | Marc Surer | Brabham | 41 | 1:12.135 |
| 10 | 16 | Derek Warwick | Renault | 51 | 1:12.383 |
| 11 | 3 | Martin Brundle | Tyrrell | 49 | 1:12.432 |
| 12 | 17 | Gerhard Berger | Arrows | 38 | 1:12.765 |
| 13 | 6 | Keke Rosberg | Williams | 13 | 1:12.914 |
| 14 | 18 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows | 48 | 1:13.021 |
| 15 | 22 | Riccardo Patrese | Alfa Romeo | 47 | 1:13.111 |
| 16 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 16 | 1:13.532 |
| 17 | 9 | Manfred Winkelhock | RAM | 26 | 1:14.486 |
| 18 | 23 | Eddie Cheever | Alfa Romeo | 17 | 1:15.055 |
| 19 | 29 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | 24 | 1:17.486 |
| 20 | 30 | Jonathan Palmer | Zakspeed | 5 | 1:17.499 |
| 21 | 4 | Stefan Bellof | Tyrrell | 52 | 1:17.854 |
| 22 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Toleman | 4 | 1:18.250 |
| 23 | 28 | Stefan Johansson | Ferrari | 1 | 2:31.135 |
Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.
1985 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings
Championship standings after the 1985 British Grand Prix.
1985 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
| POS | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michele Alboreto | Italian | Ferrari | 37 |
| 2 | Alain Prost | French | McLaren | 35 |
| 3 | Elio de Angelis | Italian | Lotus | 26 |
| 4 | Keke Rosberg | Finnish | Williams | 18 |
| 5 | Stefan Johansson | Swedish | Tyrrell / Ferrari | 16 |
| 6 | Nelson Piquet | Brazilian | Brabham | 13 |
| 7 | Patrick Tambay | French | Renault | 11 |
| 8 | Ayrton Senna | Brazilian | Lotus | 9 |
| 9 | Thierry Boutsen | Belgian | Arrows | 6 |
| 10 | Jacques Laffite | French | Ligier | 6 |
| 11 | Nigel Mansell | British | Williams | 5 |
| 12 | Stefan Bellof | German | Tyrrell | 4 |
| 13 | Derek Warwick | British | Renault | 4 |
| 14 | Andrea de Cesaris | Italian | Ligier | 3 |
| 15 | Niki Lauda | Austrian | McLaren | 3 |
| 16 | René Arnoux | French | Ferrari | 3 |
| 17 | Marc Surer | Swiss | Brabham | 1 |
| – | Martin Brundle | British | Tyrrell | 0 |
| – | Gerhard Berger | Austrian | Arrows | 0 |
| – | Riccardo Patrese | Italian | Alfa Romeo | 0 |
| – | Eddie Cheever | American | Alfa Romeo | 0 |
| – | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Italian | Osella | 0 |
| – | Philippe Alliot | French | RAM | 0 |
| – | Jonathan Palmer | British | Zakspeed | 0 |
| – | Manfred Winkelhock | German | RAM | 0 |
| – | Teo Fabi | Italian | Toleman | 0 |
| – | Pierluigi Martini | Italian | Minardi | 0 |
| – | Mauro Baldi | Italian | Spirit | 0 |
| – | François Hesnault | French | Brabham | 0 |
1985 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ferrari | 56 |
| 2 | McLaren – TAG | 38 |
| 3 | Lotus – Renault | 35 |
| 4 | Williams – Honda | 23 |
| 5 | Renault | 15 |
| 6 | Brabham – BMW | 14 |
| 7 | Ligier – Renault | 9 |
| 8 | Arrows – BMW | 6 |
| 9 | Tyrrell – Ford | 4 |
| — | Tyrrell – Renault | 0 |
| — | Alfa Romeo | 0 |
| — | RAM – Hart | 0 |
| — | Osella – Alfa Romeo | 0 |
| — | Zakspeed | 0 |
| — | Toleman – Hart | 0 |
| — | Minardi – Ford | 0 |
| — | Spirit – Hart | 0 |
| — | Minardi – Motori Moderni | 0 |
Drivers counted their best eleven results; constructors counted every round. The standings here show the position after this race.
1985 Formula 1 Race Calendar
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